


our moment in the sun

by zauberer_sirin



Series: Things We Said [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Daisy Is A Superhero, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, POV Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson Is Great At Emotional Support, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 17:11:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5256812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zauberer_sirin/pseuds/zauberer_sirin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>21. things you said when we were on top of the world</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	our moment in the sun

"You're not worried about having to deal with the paparazzi from now on?" she asks.

His gaze, concentrated on the task at hand until now, softens at her question.

"I am," he admits. He's a private man, of course he won't like this. Daisy knows she's no good for him, always pushing him into things he'd rather not do, always messing with his life like this. The world knows her face now, and in eighteen minutes they're about to know her name, too. It's easy to trace that back to Coulson. They haven't really been careful. They were happy and raging a war against villains – it didn't occur to them to be careful, to think anonymity in these circumstances mattered at all. "But I think I can handle it," he adds. "If you can handle _this_."

He touches the wound above her eyebrow, the area he was trying to cover with make-up. There's still that residual worry in his expressions, because it couldn't have been easy for him to watch it all go down from the other side of the screen, to listen to it on comms, holding his breath when she got too hurt to answer the call right away.

"I'm okay," she says, touching his wrist. "But I've never been in a tv studio."

"Me neither," Coulson says. "Our first time."

He is trying to get her to relax and it's cute and he's cute and at least she's not alone. Fighting scary alien monsters was okay, but something like this? She wonders if she is doing the right thing. It doesn't feel like her at all.

"I have been a nobody all my life," Daisy says. "It's strange to think that everyone will know my name now."

It's silly but suddenly Daisy wishes both her parents were alive and conscious of who she is, to hear the name they chose for her spoken with pride and awe on national tv. She wonders if Cal has been watching the news at all. Maybe he'll recognize her as the girl who once passed in front of his clinic and exchanged a word or two. Daisy is not sure if he prefers that he's watching tonigh or not.

"I get that but... You saved the city," Coulson says. "You saved the Avengers–"

"I only saved like _three_ Avengers, it's not that big a deal, and Rhodey helped a lot."

"It's not like you to be humble."

Coulson threads his fingers through Daisy's hair for a moment, before remembering he shouldn't ruin her hairdo like that. He shakes his head and tries to smooth it over, combing his fingers through it. He looks at her in the mirror of the changing room, frowning again, _checking_ , and maybe he is nervous too. He used to do this for a living – not this, not running his fingers through anyone's hair, lovingly. He used to advice gifted people how to keep a low a profile, and prep those individuals who wouldn't stay quiet – he told Daisy about his time running after Tony Stark. She guesses it's different when he has to do with with her, when it's someone you care about.

"I spent many years avoiding people knowing my name, knowing of my existence," she tries to explain, grabbing his jacket between her fingers. He's not even going to be on tv himself and he chose the formal-est, most expensive suit in his closet, and the least imaginative tie. "Hiding, that was my trade. I spent so much effort trying to erase any traces. And then as an Inhuman, keeping our secret was the priority for so long. This is... really confusing. The idea that random people on the streets can turn on the tv and know who I am. It's very weird."

Coulson crouches besides her chair, so they can look at each other on a level.

"What is it, really?" he asks. Annoying that he knows her so well. How did she let that happen?

"I just..." she sighs. "I really don't want _our life_ to change," she admits. "Not right now."

She feels way too lucky to be in the place she is right now with Coulson, to have found him, and that they found each other. It feels too good not to be something fragile. She worries the slightest breeze of change might break it.

"But it will change," Coulson tells her. Daisy frowns. "Our lives are always changing. Those changes have brought on good things so far. Imagine if we had never changed... We wouldn't have _this_."

He takes both Daisy's hands in his, squeezing his fingers around her palms.

He's right of course. Change has led them here. Change is good.

This is just another thing, she tries to tell herself.

She's not ready to talk about her other fears right now: that more exposure might mean more danger, that Coulson himself might get up in the crossfire. If she's famous and he's with her... but that sounds like a concern out of a comic book. Him getting hurt because she's a known superhero. That's an absurd idea. Yet it haunts her. They have always been each other's greatest weakness. Fame will only intensify that.

"Hey," he says, touching her neck. "You're a hero. The whole world is about to know your name. I couldn't be happier. Or prouder."

He kisses her, brushing his tongue along her lips. That's definitely relaxing. And entering the arena of _distracting_ fast. She pushes him off her with a laugh.

"Okay, okay. Do you want to finish this now?"

He nods and takes continues applying foundation. Daisy doesn't have that much of a problem with people knowing she took a pretty good beating in what the press has already dubbed the _Second_ Battle of New York, but the bruises on her face will look a lot worse on tv. It's no good for a superhero to look that easily wounded in her first worldwide press conference slash exclusive interview.

"So I guess I'm really doing this," she says, grabbing Coulson by the front of his shirt now.

"You yourself said it would be more of a hassle if people just kept wondering who you were," he replies, trying to cover the tiny cut on her eyebrow with the brow brush – the crew had lent them the stuff, because Daisy was unfomcortable with the whole being made up for the cameras routine and Coulson said he could do it himself. "It was _your_ idea."

"I know, I know," she huffs. There's enough people in social media asking who the mysterious earthquake woman is. Enough pictures of her on Twitter, she knows how that escalates. (She remembers Mike for a moment, hoping him and Ace are watching tonight).This is easier. Painful only for a moment.

"We can go out on the town and get dinner when you finish," Coulson tells her.

"Uh?"

She likes the idea. Something to look forward to. 

"I know a nice French restaurant nearby."

"Are you sure you're okay, being seen with the world famous Daisy Johnson?"

"I'm okay," he says, giving her a peck on the lips. "But if you worry we can ask for a dark table in the corner where no one can see us."

"Where no one can see us... I like that."

A quiet little corner where she can loosen his stupid tie and mess his suit.

She kisses him, thinking how Coulson built his whole career on the notion that he was invisible, never drawing attention to himself. The discreet, ordinary man. There's nothing ordinary about him but – he must feel conflicted about this too, even if he doesn't say, about giving that up because his girlfriend helped stop an alien invasion. Or more like she stopped it _all on her own_ (Rhodey barely helped, okay?).

"I'll do the rest," he tells her, applying eye shadow like he does this every day (not a bad idea, Daisy thinks, just let Coulson do her make up – it's kind of sexy, she thinks, though she worries what that says about her). 

When he gets to her lips he goes so careful, the area still a bit swollen. She likes the way he holds her still with one gloved finger on his thumb, with confidence.

"You're very good at this," she says. "Do you often use make-up, Phil?"

He smiles and his face is so close that Daisy can see how his eyelashes shake when he narrows his eyes. "High school, drama club," he says.

Daisy chuckles. Oh he's probably not lying. She ended up with such a dork. How did she let that happen?

"And I did this for my mother a lot in the end," Coulson goes on, his tone soft but different, purposedly casual. "I left SHIELD for a while to be with her. She always wanted to look great but some days she was too weak and asked me to do her make-up."

"You never told me that," Daisy says, lifting her fingers to his cheek.

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's a good memory," he tells her. "She was so annoying about it – always criticizing my excellent technique."

"Well, I don't know," she teases him, sensing he wants a shift in the conversation. She looks into the mirror. "I think you're a bit obsessed with smoky eyes effects, pal."

He leans over and kisses her neck. It tickles and feels so good. The knots of muscle on her shoulders loosen their grip on her a bit.

"You look hot," Coulson whispers against her cheek. It's not a word he uses often and it has the more effect for it. Now Daisy really wants to be done with this interview as soon as she can.

"A very dark corner where no one can see us, right?"

"I promise," he says, his eyes darting to the signal telling them someone will be here to fetch Daisy and bring her to the studio in a moment. Coulson curls his fingers around her shoulders. "Relax. You're a _superhero_. Tonight everyone loves you and wants to know who you are."

"Tonight... What about tomorrow?"

"We'll think about that later," he tells her. "Now, I want you to go out there and enjoy yourself."

It's really hard to resist a guy who thinks you deserve every good and beautiful thing in the world and who gets mad at the world if it doesn't give it to you.

"What if I'm not what they expect?" she asks, letting old fears take hold for the first time in ages.

"You won't be. You never what anyone expects," he tells her.

"Thanks, Phil. That's what I wanted to hear."

He takes her hands in his, stroking the bandaged wrist carefully, pressing a smile against her fingertips.

"Daisy, Daisy Johnson," he says. "Tonight you're the most important person on Earth." He tilts his head. "Well, you were always that for me. So..."

Daisy returns the smile and feels taller than even. If she is able to get someone like Coulson to let her mess with his life and pull him out of ordinariness and push him into the spotlight like this... Then the world is going to be a piece of cake.

She's got this.

There's no risk.

They are each other's greatest strength.


End file.
